Mail-receiving apparatus.



W. L. MAINER.

MAIL RECEIVING APPARATUS. APPLIGATION FILED FEBJO, 1912.

' Patented June 4, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH C0WASHIN0|\JN. D. c.

W. L. MAINER. MAIL RECEIVING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1912.

1,028,756. v Patented June 4,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\ I; 5% 'z'w i )1 RN Q Q CDLUMBIA PMNDURAPH 10., WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT curios.

WILLIAM L. Minivan, or LAMB,"TEXAs, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF T0 J. M.I-IUBERT, :or'

LAMB, TEXAS."

MAIL-RECEIVING- APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedqune 4, 1912.

.Application filed February 10, T912. Serial No. 676,790.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. MA NER, a citizen of the UnitedStates,.residing at Lamb, in the countyof Liberty and State of Texas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Receiving Aswill be hereinafter more fully 6X plained, the particular advantage ofmy device isto overcome any necessity of the postmaster orstation-master having charge of the mail, remaining on watch'to'r'eceivethe mail which may be delivered at the station by moving trains, myinvention being adapted especially.- to insure its proper safety indelivery .as well as prevent likelihood of the mail being exposed to theelements and thereby injured. i

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference is to behad to the following description and the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure l is a perspective view' of. myinvention, showing the samein positionto .receive a bag of mail. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of thesame. Fig. 3 is a side elevation,

.partly in section, showing the catchingarm after the bag has beendeposited-in the box in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectionalview on the line 4+4: of Fig. 2 showing the'arm in position to receivethe mail ba l Throughout the following detail description and on theseveral figures of the drawings, similar parts are referred to by likereference characters. I v

Referring now to the drawings, a re-v ceiving apparatus constructed inaccordance with my invention consists of a plurality of standards 1having secured on their upper portions areceptacle or housing 2which maybe of any size or shape most suitable for'the purpose forwhich it isdesired. "The receivjacent the track 3 of the railroad or contiguous tothe platform of a station, the

ing apparatus is designed to be locatedvad side of the receptacle 2adjacent the track 8 of said arm having its hearings in the transversebars 9 and 9 secured to the: op-

posite sides of the upper ends of the standards 1. The arm or receivingmember 7 has adjustably mounted at one end acounterbalancing weight 10,the tendency of, which i isto bring the arm intovertical position, andthe end opposite, the weight being adapted to swing into the receptacleas clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. ,3

This tendency above, referred tois assisted further by mounting thepivot at of the center ofthe arm.

one side The end of the arm'7 opposite the weight 10 has mountedthereonia grabbing hook :11 formed with a U-shaped portion, 1 1 andelongated end 11", the shapev of the hook being especially provided tomost readily 'catch'a bag of mail impingedthereagainst.

The hook 11 is furthermore mounted in the arm for partial rotation,the'inner end 12 i thereof belng bent'laterally and adapted to .movein-the notch 12" as will-behereinafter more fully. described. o e H At asuitable'point near the upper ,por

tion of the front standards 1 is a small platform 13 supportedby meansof the brackets 14c secured to the standards: aforesaid. Mounted on'theupper surfacevof the plat- 15, eachrhaving ashank'15' secured to theplatform as by the staples 16, thejextremity of vsaid shank. being bentat right angles thereto to form astopfinger 15 to permit from itsvertical position.

As thus described the operator having 7 charge of themail opens thedoors 4 of, the

casing. 2, access tosaidcasing being pro- .vided by the ladder. 16 atone side of'the form 13 are the retaining hooks: or triggers 1' saidhook to rotate only intone direction 9 standards 1, said ladderextending to the platform 13', and bearing downwardly on the end of thearm 7 until it assumes an approximately horizontal position, the hook 15is then engaged over an elongated projection 17 on the side of said arm.As will be noted from the drawings the arm 7 has a screw-eye 18 near itsouter end through whichthe rope 5 passes, and said rope is of sufficientlength to permit the arm to assume its horizontal and verticalpositions. The grabbing hook 11 is then adjusted so as to present itsopen portion toward the direction in which thetrain is to come andthehook 15 on the same side of the arm 7 as this direction is used whenadjusting the arm in its operative position. The apparatusrequires nofurther attention on the J partof the operator until such time as it 20is convenient for him to remove the contents of the receptacle.

horizontalarms 20 between which the bag or pouch of mail 21 is removablysuspended.

Saidpouch 21 is tied preferably at its cen-' 'tral portion and inpassing my apparatus the contracted portion is engaged in the hook 11,the jar imparted by the action described disengaging the retaining hook15 from the arm 7 whereupon the bag, by reason of the mounting of saidarm and the weight 10 on the opposite end thereof, is swung anddeposited in the receptacle 2, the

arm 7 moving through the slot 6 in the bottom of said receptacle.

Through the instrumentality of the rope 5 which is attached to the arm,the doors 4 are pulled shut and being preferably provided with a lock 22the receptacle is thus closed against unauthorized access.

A spring 23 secured to the side of the receptacle 2 engages with an eyeon the doors l to hold them from being swung by the wind, but willreadily permit disengagement when the arm is forced upwardly and therope 5 draws them into closed position. The mounting of the hook '11will permit the same to be turnedfrom itshorizontal planeby the weightof the bag as it is swung into the receptacle 2 and will assume aposition in a vertical plane, as clearly shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3of the drawings, so

that said bag is released from the hook and deposited in the receptacle.Having thus described what is claimed as new is: v

1. A mail bag receiving apparatus comprising. a receptacle, a pivotedreceiving the invention,

member, a trigger coeperating with one end of the receiving member toengage and hold said member in an abnormal position to catch the bag andoperable by impact of the with the receiving member to disengage thetrigger from the latter, and a ing means normall move a bag from amoving train, means to permit the arm to deliver the bag into thereceptacle when actuated, and means cooperating with said arm toautomatically close the doors aforesaid as the bag is deposited in thereceptacle.

3. A mail bag receiving apparatus, comprising standards, a receptaclemounted thereon, doors for said receptacle, an arm pivotally mountedbeneath the receptacle, a connection between the doors aforesaid and thearm operable to close the doors when. the arm is actuated, and means tohold the arm in operative position and adapted to be released by contactof thebag with said arm.

4:. A mail bag receiving apparatus, comprising standards, a receptaclecarried thereby, doors for said receptacle, means for catching a bagfrom a moving train, delivering the bag into said receptacle andsimultaneously closing the doors aforesaid.

5. A mail bag receiving apparatus, comprising standards, a receptaclecarried thereby, doors for said receptacle, an arm pivotally mounted onthe standards having means normally tending to cause the arm to assume avertical position, means for holding the arm in operative position toreceive a bag from a moving train, means connecting the doors and armaforesaid normally inactive when the latter is in operative position anding hook to hold the arm in approximately horizontal operative positionto receive a bag from a moving train, and operable by contact of the bagto release the arm and permit it to be swung into the receptacle, a

flexible connection between the doors 'aforesaid and connected to thearm, anda grabbing hook mounted on one end of said arm I to catch thebag and deposit the same into the receptacle. 7

7. A mail bag receiving apparatus, comprising standards, a receptaclecarried thereby, doors for said receptacle, an arm pivotally mountedbeneath'said receptacle, havtending to cause the arm to swing therelnto,a platform secured to the standards aforesaid, retaining hooks rotatablymounted on said platform and adapted to engage one end of the arm tohold the same in operative position to receive a bag from a moving trainand adapted to be released from the arm by contact of the bagthereagainst, a grabbing hook pivotally mounted in one end of the armand adapted to catch the bag and to be rotated to release said bag asthe arm is swung into the receptacle, a flexible-connection between thedoors aforesaid and connecting with the arm whereby the doors areautomatically closed as the arm is swung into the receptacle, andlocking means on said doors operable as they are closed to preventunauthorized access to the said receptacle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM L. MAINER.

Witnesses F. B. HENDERsoN, ALBERT RAGSDALE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

